Volks banke G Schwarzwald Baar Hegau is the first bank to introduce an experiential room in which customers and employees can discover and experience new technologies

NCR Corporation(NYSE: NCR), the global leader in omni-channel solutions, has developed a completely new concept called the NCR Innovation Experience Room, an experiential “playground” that gives financial institutions the opportunity to build digital literacy among employees and customers, enabling them to seize current megatrends in ways that are mutually beneficial to the business and their customers. Volks banke G Schwarzwald Baar Hegau, one of the largest cooperative banks in Germany, is the first to introduce the new break through concept. This mobile experiential room enables the bank’s customers and employees to shape its digital transformation with the aim to combine digital technologies and human interaction in a way that creates real added value for customers.

The NCR Innovation Experience Room is a flexible and versatile room that is equipped with a variety of state-of-the art technologies. These range from virtual reality headsets, 3D printers, drones, and robots, to examples of big data or Internet of Things applications and nanotechnologies. The featured technologies are exchanged after a while to keep up the attraction. The ‘Voba Playroom’ of the Volksbanke G is designed as a mobile room that will tour the different branches of the bank in the coming months. Furthermore, it will be set up at events and trade shows to demonstrate how a regional bank creatively plays out digitalization. NCR developed the conceptual design of the innovation experience room, supplied technology and provided its expertise to the Volksbanke G. Furthermore, NCR supports the introduction phase of the VobA playroom as think-tank and coach to drive the usage of the experience.

“Our view of the world is changing dramatically under the influence of megatrends such as globalization, connectivity and communitization,” said Thomas Bader, head of business development at Volksbanke G. “our new Playroom provides a new motivation for our customers to come into our branches and try out newest technologies that most of us only know from media reports. But what’s more, we effectively demonstrate to our customers and employees that we are thinking about future developments and are breaking new, creative grounds involving all parties.”

The mobile Voba Playroom was brought into operation at the end of April and features the following bases: A NCR SelfServ 85 kiosk as an interactive assistant, a 3D printer, a multi-copter drone, Amazon Echo personal assistant, as well as virtual reality glasses with which customers can not only take a virtual roller coaster ride, but also view real estate properties in 3D. Employees and customers of Volksbanke G are already familiar with the NCR kiosks, as the bank uses them to advertise properties on the large touchscreens, allowing customers to navigate properties and corresponding mortgages with just a few swipes. As interactive assistant and selfie creator the kiosks are now generating new experiences. As the war for talents heats up, employers in rural areas have to look for new ways to stand out and provide long term strategy and vision. With the NCR Innovation Experience Room Volksbanke G demonstrates a whole new dimension in consulting and employee engagement.

“In order to master the change in the financial industry, banks need the environment and a culture that allows and supports change,” explained Harald Heinz, Channel Area Leader in Germany, Austria and Switzerland at NCR Financial Services. “With our innovative playground the Volksbanke G has taken another step in that direction. Enabling a creative, hands-on approach to complex topics unleashes the creativity in everyday work. Banks and their customers both benefit from employees who enjoy their work and are motivated to shape and drive the future.”